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If density is what you want, there are other ways to get it, that's for sure. But to some degree, in order to be "world-class," a city needs them. Heck, even some suburbs have them, even if there is inadequate transit service. And, as the article mentions, some want to live in the highest place in the tallest building possible.
If density is what you want, there are other ways to get it, that's for sure. But to some degree, in order to be "world-class," a city needs them. Heck, even some suburbs have them, even if there is inadequate transit service. And, as the article mentions, some want to live in the highest place in the tallest building possible.
Why does a city need skyscrapers to be world class? Who pays any attention to the relatively few tall buildings in London and Paris?
Why does a city need skyscrapers to be world class? Who pays any attention to the relatively few tall buildings in London and Paris?
I don't think they are needed, unless there's a defined functional need that's determined at the time of design and build. I think a lot of people see them as icons of greatness or grandeur, but they rarely add to the quality of street life/activity. In some cases, they suck too many people off the street, reducing vibrancy (e.g. creating dead zones).
There is something to be said for a great skyline, but these notions of "cities need skyscrapers because of hopes of greatness" seem superficial to me.
Cities like London, Paris, and Rome are grandfathered in. Would anybody pay attention to Kuala Lumpor or Dubai without skyscrapers?
London, Paris, Rome, Berlin, Moscow, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Prague, Budapest, Amsterdam, and others are world class because of their history, contribution to society, culture, etc. They are not exceptions to the skyscraper rule. Can you tell me anything about Dubai other than ridiculous skyscrapers or other building projects? I'll bet nobody can name any museums in Dubai, movements that started in Dubai, or anything like that. In my opinion, these places are not "world class." They are completely fabricated, orchestrated, sterile places. Skyscrapers are definitely overrated.
Cities like London, Paris, and Rome are grandfathered in. Would anybody pay attention to Kuala Lumpor or Dubai without skyscrapers?
Dubai is a city that has been created from essentially nothing in the last 20 years, so skyscrapers, the weirder the better, are central to its identity. But most American cities have 100 years or more of history during which their identities have developed. So Baltimore, for example, doesn't need to build a strange tower to identify itself.
I don’t know about Philly, but most US cities have stopped playing the my-skyscraper-is-bigger-than-your-skyscraper game. The World Trade Center is an exception, but it’s more about emotion and symbolism more than economics and market demand.
The article confuses public and private development. Again, the World Trade Center is unusual in that it’s a quasi-public-owned building, whereas the vast majority of skyscrapers are developed privately. If the market demand isn’t there, developers won’t build, as happened with the American Commerce Center in Philly.
skyscrapers represent vertical upward sprawl, which is just as bad as the outward kind imo. they create too much density and overcrowding because they concentrate massive numbers of people (and the resulting gridlock) in a very small space (ie: Manhattan). density is a good thing but too much density is not.
I think skyscrapers have become a symbol of status with many countries now trying to boast their skylines, skyscrapers in themselves are not overrated if there is a need but it seems to me many cities mainly abroad are building them for status then for anything else.
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